Phil Mickelson is making the FedEx St. Jude Classic a definite stop on his 2014 schedule.

Mickelson, runner-up to Harris English last June in the FESJC, is curtailing his overall schedule, but will play the week before each of the four majors. The FESJC is held a week before the U.S. Open, the only major Mickelson has yet to win.

Mickelson made the statement about his 2014 schedule Wednesday in Shanghai and word quickly spread to the FESJC offices.

"This is pretty powerful stuff," said tournament director Phil Cannon. "It isn't an official commitment, but it takes it from the 95th percentile to the 99th percentile."

Mickelson will play Houston the week before the Masters, in Scotland the week before the British Open and Akron before the PGA Championship. He is a six-time runner-up at the U.S. Open, which will be held in 2014 at Pinehurst No. 2. A win there would make him the sixth player to complete a modern Grand Slam.

Mickelson told Reuters Wednesday that "playing Memphis the week before is very helpful (because) they are similar grasses as Pinehurst, with the exception of the greens.

"So I plan to play Memphis," he said. "And I plan to play Memorial the week before that and I'll have some (practice) time in Pinehurt prior to that."

Cannon said Mickelson's announcement is also "a shot in the arm for our marketing efforts."

"To announce 215 days before our event is huge," Cannon said. "And it could quite possibly have a domino effect. Players now know the field is going to be good."